You’re standing on the Great Plateau. The wind is whistling. You see a massive, ruined kingdom stretching out toward a volcano that looks like it’s bleeding malice. Most people immediately pull up a Zelda walkthrough Breath of the Wild because they’re terrified of missing a single Korok seed or getting smashed by a Guardian. I get it. The game is huge. It’s intimidating. But honestly, if you follow a step-by-step guide from the second you wake up in that shrine, you’re kinda killing the magic.
The real trick to mastering Hyrule isn't following a linear path. It's understanding the systems.
Most guides tell you to go straight to Kakariko Village. Sure, that’s what King Rhoam’s ghost suggests. But have you tried just... not doing that? Link has been asleep for a hundred years; he’s got nowhere to be. The beauty of this game is that the "correct" way to play is whatever weird sequence of events leads you to a cliffside with three stamina bars and a flame sword you found in a hollowed-out tree.
The Great Plateau is Your Only Real Tutorial
The Great Plateau is a masterpiece of game design. It’s a microcosm. You learn that fire burns things, cold kills you, and gravity is a cruel mistress. Your first real hurdle in any Zelda walkthrough Breath of the Wild is getting the Paraglider. Don't overthink the shrines. Magnesis, Stasis, Cryonis, and Bombs—these aren't just tools; they are the laws of physics.
I’ve seen people spend three hours trying to cook the "Perfect Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry" for the Old Man just to get the Warm Doublet. Pro tip: you can literally just hold a torch or eat some spicy peppers and run to the shrine in the snow. You don’t need the jacket yet. The game wants you to realize there are always three or four solutions to every problem. If you’re stuck, you’re probably just being too logical. Use a balloon. Octo Balloons are the most underrated items in the game. Attach them to a slab of rock and suddenly you’re bypasssing a whole mountain.
Finding Your Feet in the Wild
Once you glide off that plateau, the world opens up. It’s paralyzing.
Most players head east toward Dueling Peaks. That’s the "standard" route. You’ll meet the stables, find your first horse, and eventually hit Kakariko. But if you want to be powerful early, head toward the Ridgeland Tower. Why? Because the climbing gear is scattered around, and stamina is way more important than hearts in the early game. Hearts prevent death, but stamina grants freedom. You can always eat a "Hearty Durian" (found in the Faron region, near the Faron Tower) to get twenty extra temporary hearts. It’s basically a cheat code. Cook five of them at once. Boom. You’re a tank.
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The Divine Beast Order Actually Matters
People argue about this constantly. "Do Vah Ruta first because Mipha’s Grace saves you from dying!"
Okay, valid. But honestly? Go for Vah Medoh in the Northwest first. Revali’s Gale is the single most useful ability in the game. It lets you skip 80% of the tedious climbing. If you’re looking for a Zelda walkthrough Breath of the Wild strategy that saves time, the Rito questline is your priority. Revali is a jerk, but his gift is unparalleled.
- Vah Medoh (Rito): Grants Revali’s Gale (Vertical flight). Do this first.
- Vah Ruta (Zora): Grants Mipha’s Grace (Auto-revive). Great for beginners.
- Vah Naboris (Gerudo): Grants Urbosa’s Fury (Massive AOE damage). The hardest boss (Thunderblight Ganon), so save it for later.
- Vah Rudania (Goron): Grants Daruk’s Protection (Shield). Useful, but the volcano environment is a pain without fireproof lizard elixirs.
Combat is a Suggestion, Not a Requirement
You see a Lynel. It looks at you. It has 4,000 HP. You have a pot lid and a rusty broadsword.
Run.
Seriously. You don’t have to fight everything. In fact, fighting ruins your weapon durability. The "durability" system is the most hated part of the game for many, but it’s there to force you to be creative. If there’s a camp of Bokoblins, don’t run in swinging. Look up. Is there a boulder? Roll it. Is there dry grass? Set it on fire. Is it raining? Use a lightning rod and watch the electricity jump between them.
The "perfect dodge" and "parry" are skills you need to practice at the shrine in Kakariko. If you can’t parry a Guardian’s laser beam, you’re going to have a bad time in Hyrule Castle. The timing is right when the blue eye flashes and you hear the "beep." Press A. If you time it right, the beam reflects and nukes the Guardian. If you miss, you’re a puddle of blue goo.
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The Master Sword Misconception
You don't just "find" the Master Sword. You need 13 permanent heart containers to pull it out of the ground in the Lost Woods. Temporary hearts from food don't count. The Great Deku Tree will literally watch you die if you try to cheat.
If you’ve been dumping all your Spirit Orbs into stamina, don't panic. There’s a "horned statue" in Hateno Village that lets you swap stamina for hearts (and vice versa) for a small fee. It’s basically a respec station. Swap everything to hearts, pull the sword, then swap back to stamina. The Master Sword is great because it "recharges" instead of breaking, but it’s actually pretty weak unless you’re near Malice or inside a Divine Beast.
Dealing with the Weather
Rain is the true final boss of Breath of the Wild. It stops you from climbing. It makes you slide. It’s infuriating.
There isn't a magical "stop rain" button, but there are ways around it. The Climbing Gear set (found in shrines) increases your speed, which helps you cover more ground between slips. Usually, you can climb for four "steps" and then jump. The jump will make you slide, but you’ll end up slightly higher than where you started. It’s a rhythm.
Also, lightning. If your equipment starts sparking, you are about to become a lightning rod. Unequip anything metal. Wood and ancient gear are safe. I once saw a guy drop a metal sword in the middle of a group of enemies during a storm, then run away. The lightning hit the sword and wiped the whole mob. That’s the kind of "walkthrough" thinking that actually wins this game.
The Lost Woods and the Trial of the Sword
Getting through the Lost Woods is simple if you look at the embers. Most people try to follow the trees, but the wind carries the fire's embers in the direction you need to go. If the embers blow left, you go left.
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If you have the DLC, the "Trial of the Sword" is the hardest content in the game. You start with nothing. No clothes, no food, just your wits. It’s a test of everything you’ve learned. If you can beat the Final Trials, your Master Sword stays powered up forever (60 damage). It’s a grind, but it transforms the sword from a backup tool into a primary weapon.
Why You Should Explore the Fringes
The edges of the map are where the weird stuff happens. Lurelin Village in the southeast feels like a completely different game—a tropical vacation. The Akkala region in the northeast has the Tech Lab where you can get Ancient Arrows. These arrows are "delete" buttons for Guardians.
Don't ignore the side quests, but don't feel obligated to finish them either. "Tarrey Town" is widely considered the best side quest in the game because you literally build a town from scratch. You’ll need a lot of wood. Like, a lot of wood. Go to the Rito stable and start bombing trees.
Essential Materials to Hoard
Stop selling everything you find. You need certain things for armor upgrades at the Great Fairies.
- Ancient Screws/Springs/Gears: Save these for the Ancient Armor set. It’s the best defense in the game against Guardians.
- Swift Violets: They grow on cliffs. You need them for speed-boost elixirs.
- Lynel Guts: Don't ask. Just keep them. You'll need them for the endgame upgrades.
- Dragons: You’ll see Farosh, Dinraal, and Naydra flying around. Shooting them with an arrow drops scales, claws, or horn shards. A horn shard added to a meal makes the buff last for 30 minutes.
The Reality of the Ending
You can go straight to Calamity Ganon whenever you want. You could do it in your underwear with a mop if you’re good enough. But if you haven't freed the Divine Beasts, you’ll have to fight all their respective "Blights" in a row before you even get to Ganon. It’s a nightmare.
Freeing the beasts reduces Ganon’s health by half instantly. It makes the "final" fight much more of a victory lap than a grueling slog.
Actionable Steps for Your Journey
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the world, focus on these immediate goals to get your footing:
- Prioritize Towers: Don't worry about shrines yet; just unlock the map. Seeing the topography helps you plan routes that don't involve climbing vertical faces for twenty minutes.
- Find Hestu: He’s the big broccoli-looking guy on the road to Kakariko. He expands your inventory in exchange for Korok seeds. Weapon slots are more valuable than bow or shield slots.
- Cook During the Blood Moon: When the sky turns red and the music gets creepy (around 11:35 PM), start cooking. Anything you make during a Blood Moon gets a "critical success," meaning extra hearts or longer-lasting buffs.
- Capture a High-Tier Horse: Go to the Taobab Grassland (south of the Great Plateau). The horses there have better stats. Look for solid colors; they usually have more stamina than spotted ones.
- Seek the Memories: Find the locations in Zelda’s photos. Not only does this fill in the story, but finding all of them unlocks the "true" ending cutscene after you beat Ganon.
Stop treating Hyrule like a checklist. It’s a playground. If you see a weird mountain, climb it. If you see a suspicious circle of rocks, stand in the middle of it. The best Zelda walkthrough Breath of the Wild isn't a PDF on your phone; it's the trail of chaotic decisions you leave behind as you stumble your way toward becoming a legend.